FIRST ALERT: High winds across northern Arizona and Phoenix-area tonight!

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - A very windy but sunny start to the first full week in April! We have a FIRST ALERT for high winds today and tonight across most of northern and eastern Arizona. High Wind Warnings are in place for Flagstaff and the northeastern third of the state through 11 p.m. tonight. Wind gusts could approach 60mph. Light snow is possible after the passage of the front above 7,000ft, with 1-4″ in the upper elevation areas. A Wind Advisory is in place for the Valley and the rest of the forecast area through 11 p.m. tonight, with gusts at 45mph possible. And in southeastern Arizona, high winds are causing an increase in dangerous fire conditions, so a Red Flag warning is also in place. A Freeze Watch will also go into effect Tuesday overnight into Wednesday morning for parts of Pinal and Pima counties.

Wind gusts have been strong across the Valley this afternoon, with highs in the low 80s. Look for clear and windy conditions tonight with overnight lows in the mid-40s, unseasonably cool for this time of year. Sunny skies for Tuesday, but don’t expect warm conditions! Highs will only be in the low 60s, about 20 degrees below average for this time of year. But enjoy the cooler conditions now. We probably won’t see these kinds of daytime highs until November. Wednesday looks to be sunny and warmer, with highs back into the low 70s.

A warming trend will kick-off mid-week as high pressure is scheduled to build on a strong note over the Western U.S. by the Easter weekend. Highs will generally be in the low 80s by Thursday and high 80s by Friday. Our first 90s of the season should happen over Easter Weekend! The record high for an Easter Sunday was 100 degrees back in 1990!

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